Trump's Decertification Doesn't Mean the Death of the Iran Nuclear Deal

After President Trump announced the decertification of the nuclear agreement with Iran, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, policy experts have largely focused on the extreme possible outcomes of the move. The debate leaves the impression that the deal is facing its demise. In fact, if the United States sidelines itself during the Trump administration, the other parties to the agreement will probably choose to boost their efforts to compensate, in order to control the damage and maintain the terms of the deal. The silver lining is that, by sticking with the agreement, Iran and other parties can turn this around, move the game slowly but positively forward, and even broaden possibilities for the future. As Congress draws near to the Dec. 12 deadline of its deliberations over next steps, understanding the options and outcomes of its actions can move the pendulum from the extreme to the middle ground, and potentially salvage the agreement.